After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God saying, “This is the time of fulfillment…” When Jesus appeared in the desert where John was preaching, John immediately became aware that the time had come for him to hang his boots and retreat into the background (cf. John 3:30 – “ he must increase, I must decrease”). For the emergence of Jesus into the public arena was an indication that the preparatory work that John had been sent to do (cf. John 1:23) was soon drawing to a close. As such, the arrest of John about which we read in today’s Gospel passage can be seen as a very subtle way through which John was “removed” from the scene. It could also have served as a clue to Jesus that the baton had been passed on to him. The stage was now his and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
Whereas the content of the Baptist’s message had been repentance for the forgiveness of sins (cf. Mark 1:4), Jesus’ preaching was about the imminence of the kingdom of God. The time for the fulfillment of God’s promises (the good news) had dawned. The kingdom of God had finally arrived, and for those who had been looking forward to it, this was their chance. All they had to do to “feel” the presence of the kingdom was to believe in the good news that was embodied in the person of Jesus.
The “coming of the kingdom” was a popular theme in the community where both the Baptist and Jesus were preaching. It was a theme that permeated the religious literature of this community because of what it represented. Whereas the kingdom [of God] fell short of being equated to, or being identified with God, it was nonetheless highly regarded and it occupied a central place in the life and aspirations of the community. For the kingdom meant not only the reign of God but also the good things that take place when God reigns (the good things that “accompany” the reign of God). The community’s recollection of their experience of journeying with God was a good one, and it was only to get better when God would once again “come” and journey with them. This is what the phrase “good news” conjured in their minds when they heard Jesus speak about the good news. And when Jesus began his ministry proclaiming it was the time of fulfillment, he was without doubt referencing to this. Jesus understood his mission as fulfilling all the aspirations of his people.
While not everyone saw in Jesus the fulfillment of the community’s aspirations (his mission did not meet the political threshold that was expected in a person who claimed to be the long-awaited messiah), those who came to believe in Jesus saw in him the fulfillment of God’s promises to creation. He was indeed the savior that the world was eagerly awaiting. He was the messiah that was coming to enable creation attain its full potential. This became clearer once Jesus embarked upon his mission. The good news that was the content of his preaching became visible as he went about healing those who were beset by various illness and as he attended to the needs of those who sought him out. Clearly, the Lord had come to be with his people (cf. Luke 7:11-17). The people were no longer saying, “ as the Lord lives who walked with our ancestors in the past,” but rather “ as the Lord lives who is living and working mighty signs in our midst.” God was once again their saving justice (cf. Jeremiah 23:6).